The Cape Town High Court handed down a life sentence Wednesday morning to Howard Oliver, the man who raped and murdered 16-year-old teenager Franziska Blöchliger in Tokai Forest last year.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said Oliver further received 15 years for robbery which would be served concurrently.
“We trust that the lengthy sentence will serve as a deterrent to criminals preying on our children who are not in a position to defend themselves,” Traut said.
“Violence committed against children is in the forefront of our fight against crime and offenders can expect that our investigators will pursue every avenue to ensure their conviction.”
Oliver raped and murdered Blöchliger on March 7 last year as she was out jogging in the popular recreational spot.
He was one of four people initially arrested but eventually was the sole one to stand trial on the charges of rape and murder. Oliver had earlier pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder charges and continued to deny involvement in her killing.
However, late last month he finally admitted to raping and killing the teenager – more than 14 months after her body was found – and was duly convicted.
– African News Agency (ANA)
